Listed are all launches, irrespective of outcome, that were irretrievably committed to flight towards orbit or intended to accelerate the payload to escape velocity.

Launch times are in UTC and are from the launching agency or estimated by 'walking back' along the ground track to the launch site. The PRIME source of orbit data and decay information is SpaceTrack. A minority of orbits is based on amateur observations using visual and radio techniques. Occasionally, early orbit data are published by satellite owners and may cover periods before SpaceTrack lists a new object. In extreme cases, orbits are estimated from public data.

Apogee and perigee are measured against the Earth's mean equatorial radius - 6378.145 km. Care should be exercised when comparing with other published orbits even when the source is shown as SpaceTrack.

Instrumented lunar spacecraft on direct ascent trajectory aimed at hitting the Moon. A small error in the launching rocket trajectory meant it missed the Moon by about 9500 km and entered heliocentric orbit. The catalogue entry is out of sequence because it was allocated retrospectively when the system was firmed-up to include missions on escape trajectory. It was catalogued retrospectively late-1960, hence the out-of-sequence number.

In heliocentric orbit

1959-002

Vanguard SLV-4Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Feb 17, 15:55

Vanguard II1959 α 111

in space

Scientific satellite to study the Earth's cloud cover.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Jun 19, 18:24

8315

0.1651

564

3309

125.76

32.88

58

1959-003

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Feb 28, 21:49

Discoverer 1 (Corona R&D)1959 β 113

Re-entered 1959 Mar 3

Prototype US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Uncertain that it actually reached orbit but it was nevertheless catalogued on the basis of what may have been erroneous tracking information.

Orbit details unavailable or awaited

1959-004

Juno IICape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Mar 3, 05:10

Pioneer 41959 ν 1113

in space

Lunar flyby spacecraft that then went into heliocentric orbit. The payload included radiation monitoring sensors and a lunar photography experiment. It passed within 60,000 km of the Moon's surface but not close enough to trigger the camera. It was catalogued retrospectively late-1960, hence the out-of-sequence number.

In heliocentric orbit

1959-005

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Apr 13, 21:18

Discoverer 2 (Corona R&D)1959 γ 114

Re-entered 1959 Apr 26

Prototype US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Retrieval of film was unsuccessful - the re-entry vehicle probably overshot the recovery area near Hawaii.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Apr 13, 21:26

6670

0.0079

239

345

90.36

89.91

155

Failed to reach orbit

Vanguard SLV-5Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Apr 14, 02:49

Vanguard

Scientific satellite to study electrical currents in the Earth's magnetic field and upper air density. Second stage separation was at the wrong attitude so the vehicle was deliberately destroyed.

Instrumented lunar spacecraft on direct ascent trajectory aimed at hitting the Moon. Failure of the launch vehicle inertial guidance system 153 seconds after lift-off led to the rocket being deliberately destroyed

Failed to reach orbit

Vanguard SLV-6Cape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Jun 22, 20:16

Vanguard

Scientific satellite to study solar radiation, radiation reflected from the Earth and long-wave radiation originating from the Earth. Second stage of the launch vehicle exploded.

Failed to reach orbit

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Jun 25, 22:47

Discoverer 4 (Corona 9001/KH-1)

US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Lost when launch vehicle upper stage failed.

Failed to reach orbit

Juno IICape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Jul 16, 17:37

Explorer (S-1)

Scientific satellite with a cluster of instruments. Vehicle control lost at lift-off. Destroyed by Range Safety.

1959-006

Thor Able IIICape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Aug 7, 14:24

Explorer 6 (S-2)1959 δ 115

Re-entered 1961 Jun 30

Satellite designed to study trapped radiation around the Earth, galactic cosmic rays, geomagnetism, radio propagation in the upper atmosphere, and the flux of micrometeorites. It also tested a scanning imager designed for photographing the Earth's cloud cover, and transmitted the first pictures of Earth from orbit.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Aug 8, 15:50

27739

0.7609

254

42467

766.28

46.95

36

1959-007

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Aug 13, 19:00

Discoverer 5 (Corona 9002/KH-1)1959 ε 118

Re-entered 1959 Sep 28

US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Remained in orbit after the power supply system failed.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Aug 14, 08:33

6852

0.0377

215

732

94.07

80.00

155

Failed to reach orbit

Juno IICape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Aug 15, 00:31

Explorer (Beacon 2)

High visibility balloon to be used as a visual target for air density measurement and serve as a radar target.

1959-008

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Aug 19, 19:24

Discoverer 6 (Corona 9003/KH-1)1959 ζ 119

Re-entered 1959 Oct 20

US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Retro-fire failed so re-entry vehicle not recovered.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Aug 20, 10:43

6905

0.0463

208

846

95.18

84.00

140

1959-009

Vostok-L 8K72Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

1959 Sep 12, 06:39

Luna 2 (E-1 №6)1959 ξ 1114

Re-entered 1959 Sep 13

Instrumented lunar spacecraft on direct ascent trajectory aimed at hitting the Moon. Destroyed on successful Lunar impact 1959 September 13 at 21:02:24 UTC. The catalogue entry is out of sequence because it was allocated retrospectively when the system was firmed-up to include missions on escape trajectory. It was catalogued retrospectively late-1960, hence the out-of-sequence number.

In orbit around the Moon or on its surface

Failed to reach orbit

Thor Able IICape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Sep 17, 14:34

Transit 1A

First generation, experimental navigation satellite, lost when the launch vehicle third stage failed.

1959-010

Vanguard TV-4BUCape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Sep 18, 05:20

Vanguard III1959 η 120

in space

Scientific satellite with a magnetometer and x-ray sensors.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Sep 18, 04:48

8517

0.1900

520

3757

130.37

33.34

134

1959-011

Vostok-L 8K72Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

1959 Oct 4, 00:43

Luna 3 (E-2A)1959 θ 121

Re-entered 1960 Apr 20

Lunar spacecraft equipped with imaging system on direct ascent trajectory. Starting Nov 7 at 03:30 UTC, over a period of 40 minutes, it took 29 photographs of the hidden side of the Moon from an altitude of 65,200 km. Film was developed automatically aboard the spacecraft and then scanned to allow radio transmission of the images.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Oct 5, 02:20

256627

0.9732

500

499998

21563.22

55.00

45

1959-012

Juno IICape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Oct 13, 15:30

Explorer 7 (S-1A)1959 ι 122

in space

Scientific satellite with a cluster of instruments.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Oct 17, 03:49

7203

0.0368

560

1090

101.40

50.27

67

1959-013

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Nov 7, 20:28

Discoverer 7 (Corona 9004/KH-1)1959 κ 124

Re-entered 1959 Nov 26

US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Decayed naturally.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Nov 8, 19:32

6868

0.0482

159

821

94.41

81.64

162

1959-014

Thor Agena AVandenberg AFB, California, USA

1959 Nov 20, 19:25

Discoverer 8 (Corona 9005/KH-1)1959 λ 125

Re-entered 1960 Mar 8

US film recovery reconnaissance satellite. Re-entry for recovery proved not possible because the orbit was too eccentric.

epoch (UTC)

s-m axis( km )

ecc

perigee( km )

apogee( km )

period( min )

incl ( ° )

ω ( ° )

1959 Nov 20, 20:32

7303

0.1005

191

1659

103.51

80.60

156

Failed to reach orbit

Atlas AbleCape Canaveral AFS, Florida, USA

1959 Nov 26, 07:26

Pioneer P-3

Lunar orbiter equipped with an imaging sytem, a micrometeoroid detector and a magnetometer. It was lost when the launch vehicle payload shroud detached after 46 seconds and the vehicle was destroyed by Range Safety. Pioneer P-3 was originally built as Pioneer P-1 but its launch vehicle was destroyed on the pad by an explosion 1959 Sep 24. At the time Pioneer P-1 was not attached to the rocket.